The Avia Vineman Ironman 70.3 lived up to all advanced hype on
Sunday, as more than 2,000 of the world’s best athletes took
advantage of near-perfect race conditions to complete what amounted
to a historic day of triathlon racing.
Touted as a “champion’s battle,” the star-studded field was
vying for a record $50,000 in prize money for the top eight
finishers in both the men’s and women’s pro divisions, with another
huge throng of amateurs competing for age group titles and 30
qualifying spots for the World Championships later this year.
The annual test of will began at dawn at Johnson’s Beach in
Guerneville with a 1.2-mile swim, continued with a 56-mile bike
segment, and transitioned into a 13.1-mile half-marathon, finishing
up at Windsor High School.
Andy Potts, a 34 year-old from Colorado City, Colorado, overcame
a spirited challenge from runner-up Paul Matthews, taking the lead
in the final three miles of the half-marathon to cross the finish
line in a record 3:45.58.
The mark bettered the previous course standard set by
Australia’s Joe Gambles in 2009 by over three minutes. It was
Potts’ fifth straight triathlon victory in 2011 and earned him a
first-place prize of $8,500.
“I knew it would be a tough day with the class of this field,”
said Potts in a post-race interview. “To compete against all these
guys and have the race I did was fantastic. The wine is going to
taste good tonight,” he beamed.
Matthews finished a close second to bag a purse of $5,500,
finishing just 29 seconds back in 3:46.27. Rounding out the top
eight were Gambles (3:47.04), Graham O’Grady of New Zealand
(3:48.56), Kyle Leto (3:50.05), Timothy O’Donnell (3:50.26),
defending Vineman champion Chris Lieto (3:51.07), and Matty Reed
(3:52.30).
The top four men’s finishers all eclipsed the previous course
record.
The women’s pro race was equally compelling, as Australia’s
Melissa Rollison broke the tape in a record 4:09.00, bettering the
course mark of 4:15 set last year by Miranda Carfrae by over six
minutes. The outstanding effort was six minutes faster than
runner-up Leanda Cave of Great Britain, who finished in
4:15.14.
Rollison’s victory looked even more impressive considering that
it came on the heels of a win in Muncie, Indiana just one week
earlier in her triathlon debut, making her two for two in the
sport.
“I had a really good swim today, and I knew I had a good chance
to win so I just went full out,” she said. “I didn’t know what the
course record was so I was a bit surprised by that.”
Rounding out the top eight women’s spots were defending champion
Miranda Carfrae (4:17.49), USA’s Meredith Kessler (4:18.24), and
Rachel Challis (4:21.33), and Canada’s Tenille Hoogland (4:23.00),
Rachel McBride (4:23.38), and Melanie McQuaid (4:26.08).
Although this year’s event was touted as the strongest
professional field ever, a major assist went to Mother Nature, who
provided ideal racing conditions.
“I can’t remember another race when the marine layer hung around
as long as it did today,” said longtime Vineman spokesman Dave
Latourette.
In all, some 2,094 athletes crossed the finish line on Sunday,
including 1,400 men and 694 women, with an average finishing time
of 6:01.33.
Leading the charge for local athletes was resident superstar
Jady Palko, who completed the course in an impressive, 4:33.32.
Other Windsor finishers included Nick Abbott (5:09.21), Troy
Tuscher (5:32.50), David Earl (5:41.43), John Iverson (6:17.45),
Douglass Springer (6:31.03), Dan Taylor (6:33.22), Dennis Rutkowski
(6:35.40), and Jeff Ottoboni (6:38.12).
Top Healdsburg finishers were Eric Johansen (5:39.51), Lacey
Burnett (6:21.45), and Mike Numainville (6:23.49).
The Vineman series of races will continue on Saturday, July 30,
with the Full Vineman, Aqua Bike, and Barb’s Race, the only
all-women’s 70.3 triathlon distance contested in the world.
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